Mindfulness Reaches At-Risk Youth & Communities

How Mindfulness Programs Are Transforming At-Risk Youth

The Growing Reach of Mindfulness in Underserved Communities

A few weeks ago, I attended a mindfulness and yoga program for at-risk youth in Baltimore. What stood out most was the dedication of the participants—teachers, social workers, and caregivers—many from small towns like Hagerstown, Maryland. This showed me that mindfulness for at-risk youth is no longer confined to big cities but is spreading to rural and underserved areas.

The Impact of Mindfulness in Education and Social Work

Key takeaways from the program:

• Teachers and social workers are integrating mindfulness to support mental health in schools.
• Programs foster social-emotional learning (SEL) and resilience in children.
• Caregivers use mindfulness to manage stress and improve trauma-informed care.

Mindful.org’s Role in Spreading Awareness

At Mindful magazine and mindful.org, our mission is to share stories of mindfulness making a difference. Highlights include:

• Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) helping expectant parents.
• The first U.S. police department to adopt mindfulness training for officers.
• Resources for managing stress and burnout in high-pressure environments.

Introducing mindfulTV: Expanding Mindfulness Through Video

We’re taking storytelling further with mindfulTV, a new platform to:

• Share inspirational mindfulness stories in video format.
• Feature experts like Jon Kabat-Zinn and Frank Ostaseski.
• Build a video archive of mindfulness pioneers.

How You Can Support mindfulTV

Your support helps:

• Expand mindfulness education to more communities.
• Fund free resources for schools and nonprofits.
• Match donations through the 1440 Foundation’s campaign.

Join us in bringing mindfulness to the world—learn more here.

Originally published on the UCSD Center for Mindfulness website.